Practice is vital to your success as a basketball player. However, it is of utmost importance that you make sure you are practicing correctly. The tips that follow here are going to allow you to make your goals more often and teach you other things as well.

Correct dribbling is key. Don’t use your palm, use your fingers. Using your fingertips provides you with more control. Also, dribble off to the side instead of in front. The ball should bounce no higher than your waist. Keep your eyes up, not on the ground.

TIP! When dribbling, make sure you hold your head high and look straight ahead. If you must look at the ball while dribbling, you haven’t practiced enough.

Every great player understands how to properly perform a bounce pass. Executed properly, a bounce pass will connect with the receiving player at the waist. Bounce the ball so that it lands near your teammate. At the same time, take into account any other extraneous factors that may affect the pass.

You can learn to trick the opposing team. Give the back pass a try! Hold the ball using your dominant hand. Then, move the ball so it is behind your back. Next, snap your wrist in the direction you want the ball to be moved to. This will trick your opponents.

You can play basketball solo before and during the season. Even though basketball is usually played with teams, it is sometimes the case that there just isn’t anyone around to play with. That is okay. You can still do a lot on your own. Practice free throws and work on pivot moves. There are always things that can be done.

TIP! Free throws are mental as well as physical. Your body can be trained to make free throws, but your mind has to be focused on success if you want to make the basket.

Good footwork remains a vital part of basketball. While actually being beneath the basket is key, establishing a good position prior to the opposition is even more so. Once you have a location, it is important that your feet are firmly planted there. These will both require powerful footwork.

Talk to your teammates and find out what they like about your game. Do you do something particularly well? Maybe you are nimble or you are reliably there to support them. Find out what others perceive as your natural gifts and build upon those more completely.

When exercising, concentrate on building up core strength and improving your footwork. When your core is strengthened, you will have more balance and be able to move more swiftly. Your muscles in your buttocks, hips, abdomen, and back should be worked. Jump rope can be used to speed up your feet.

TIP! Practice catching passes as often as you can. When you practice, mix it up so that you can catch perfect passes and errant throws.

If you need some help seeing where you need work, try to get a friend or relative to record your games. Do you see anything you could do differently? You can use this information to improve your game. Sometimes you have to face reality about your skills and just not dream about how you want to be.

Free Throw

You must have a consistent practice routine if you want to learn to shoot free throws well. Your shot could be off if you are inconsistent. If you want to perfect free throw shooting, pick a routine and repeat it continuously. If your free throw routine is out of whack, you will miss.

TIP! Don’t limit your practice to just playing against the zone defense. Learn how to play a man-to-man defense and a zone defense to get the best understanding of how the game works.

To be a good dribbler, and a more versatile player, you have to develop not only your dominant hand but your weaker side as well. When you are ambidextrous, you’ll be a better player. You can actually force yourself to utilize your weak hand by tying your other hand behind you. This will help you use that hand more easily and improve your dribbling with that hand.

In order to confuse the offense, try changing your pace. As you are heading towards the net, straighten up and plant down your foot. Your opponent will see you as stopping, then will also stop themselves. Like them, push and run past them.

Strength training can be a major help in basketball. You need both strength and endurance if you are going to excel. Even younger kids will benefit from strength training. As players mature, weight training can begin. When they become adults, strength training is critical to maintaining solid court performance.

TIP! Want to make the other team not know what’s going on? Try the back pass. To work it, place the ball in your most dominant hand.

You should always bend your knees while dribbling. Standing straight makes it hard to control the ball. Bending your knees slightly can really make a difference in the way you control the ball.

These tips will help you improve your game no matter how frequently you play. Every skill can be improved on. You can play much better basketball by using the tips provided.